Sletrokor Review

Sletrokor Overview

Made by 18Nutrition, a Los Angeles-based supplement and diet shake manufacturer, Sletrokor is a diet pill the company has said makes its other products more effective—specifically the 18Shake, which I have reviewed previously. Here’s my opportunity to dig deeper into this diet pill that 18Nutrition claims is the #1 Weight Loss Pill of 2017! [1]

Amazing how many products can all be “#1” at the same time.

Let’s just start with this: what a ridiculous name. It doesn’t roll off the tongue; looks like skeletor… skeleton…skeletal, and maybe that’s what they’re going for.

In other words, with a couple of doses of Sletrokor you’ll be in a great mood, energized and not hungry. Plus, bonus: incredible health benefits. And it does this with a proprietary blend of seven ingredients, though 18Nutrition touts four in particular. [2]

I must say having written about each of these before, I found the descriptions a little loose on the facts and poorly written. We’ll get there in a moment.

One of three before-and-after images and testimonials on the website is rather disturbing. The young woman—who already appeared rather slender save perhaps a small belly pouch—claims to have lost 43 pounds on Sletrokor. And in the “after” image, it’s clear she has lost weight—too much in fact; she appears nearly emaciated. She says: “I lost 22 pounds after 6 weeks. Sletrokor really keeps you from being hungry. Thanks for this great pill. It looks like something really new on the weight loss market.” [2]

I found it worrisome. With eating disorders a growing health concern, especially in young women, I am repulsed by this kind of marketing; it’s pretty clear what client demographics 18Nutrition is targeting.

Now about the cost and the fine print.

Once you click and agree to terms of use and privacy policy, you give up all rights when it comes to this product: your health, your money, the website’s claims and, in essence: “we don’t stand behind a thing; you are on your own.” Sletrokor actually says it’s not liable if you don’t seek medical advice first, and admits that it too will not be liable if you are injured or become ill after taking its supplement or for any “incomplete or inaccurate advice” including the information on its own website, which Sletrokor says may be run by a third party. [3][4]

Geez.

What you’ll be paying for Sletrokor is, in a word, tons. At $60 for one bottle plus another $15 for insurance and shipping, that’s a big investment. And let’s take a moment here to do some math. One bottle contains 30 pills. You take four a day, two before two meals. So, if you follow their direction as is suggested on the label, there are 15 servings. Two servings a day, so you have enough in one bottle for a week.

See what I am saying? Even though when you make it to the checkout page it says a one-month supply for $59.99, it’s actually one week if you follow their directions for use. So, again, doing the math, you’ll need four bottles per month. And now we’re talking hundreds of dollars. [5]

This is a classic bait-and-switch scam. Even if the ingredients were solid and you could absolutely count on losing lots of weight, it’s still not any kind of deal. And of course a lot of people get sucked into the buy-three get-two free or similar—ultimately, you can spend over $200 for a five-month supply and possibly get pulled into an auto-ship. Watch it, folks.

Oh and about refunds. Don’t count on it. The policy is a 15-day refund for unopened bottles only. And in order to process a refund, you have to contact 18Nutrition, provide all kinds of information, and if that information is deemed insufficient your refund will be delayed—or worse, you won’t qualify. It’s extremely restrictive. And, you have to pay a restocking fee. (You’ll hear user complaints about this in a minute.)

Sletrekor makes some very bold claims about Garcinia cambogia and hydroxycitric acid (HCA), the ingredient that makes this plant so appealing to the weight loss industry. Sletrokor says Garcinia cambogia provides myriad health benefits including serotonin support; your overall mood is lifted, they say, while it’s working to aid in weight loss. They also say it’s been tested to help break down carbohydrates. HCA is purported to limit lyase production. Or as Sletrokor says, since lyase works to destroy chemical bonds that prevent fat burning, HCA then improves fat burning by managing stress hormone cortisol and “winds down the bad LDL cholesterol, while supporting healthy triglycerides.” [2]

Actually, while Garcinia cambogia has been incorporated in meals in Southeast Asia to keep people satiated (likely helpful when food sources are limited) some science says although HCA “seems to be conditionally effective in weight management in experimental animals and in humans, its mechanism of action remains unclear.” In other words, researchers are not certain how it works, hence this conclusion: “Further human studies are warranted.” This was 10 years ago. [7]

And though there is evidence that Aloe Vera is great for skin problems, bites, sunburn, and even constipation, its study as being safe and useful for a laundry list of other maladies it can cure are scientifically unclear at best and ineffective at worst. [8]

Cascara sagrada (a fairly common plant throughout North America, known as buckthorn or bitter bark) is a laxative and used for constipation. [9]

Gymnema sylvestre, an herb native to southern India, may reduce some body weight when combined with HCA and niacin-bound chromium. Emphasis on the word may. That said, there are substances in the plant that decrease sugar absorption in the intestines and may be helpful for diabetics. And if the reviews are any indication, this herb may be helpful in lowering or regulating blood sugar, but as a weight loss or obesity cure, there’s no comment whatsoever. [10]

A water-soluble fiber made from the shells of crustaceans like crabs and lobsters, Chitosan has been called a weight loss aid because it supposedly blocks fat. WebMD says that’s likely untrue. “The FDA has warned about such claims. It says there is no reliable scientific evidence. A review of high-quality studies shows that overweight people who took chitosan did not lose significant amounts of weight.” [11]

Apple cider vinegar is a known healthy food, with little debate. Apple cider vinegar—a combination of apples, yeast and good bacteria—ends up as acetic acid; the short-chain fatty acid that has been used for millennia as a health tonic but it turns out also has plenty of weight loss-related effects. It lowers blood sugar, decreases insulin, increases metabolism, reduces fat storage, burns fat, and suppresses appetite. [12]

This is a solid ingredient to aid in weight loss—but in its usual form, as a liquid. In studies, participants were given 1 or 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. The actual vinegar. [13]

It’s not clear that a powder is the same thing. A jar of organic raw apple cider vinegar costs about $4.

Legume protein powder, which they spell as “phaseo vulgaris,” is white kidney bean extract. It’s actually Phaseolusvulgaris, so I don’t know what to think here. Either it’s a fake or a typo. I suspect the latter, but doesn’t that tell you something about quality, accuracy and the overall manufacture of this product, if they cannot correctly identify the ingredients? In any event, the white kidney bean has been studied and there is some evidence that when used clinically and in a scientifically-controlled trial, may be an amylase inhibitor. In a study on the efficacy, Body Mass Index (BMI) decreased from 25.9 to 24.0 in 8 weeks for participants. [14]

Perhaps it’s just me, but I do not call that significant. Eat legumes.

Sletrokor side effects are many.

Each ingredient comes with its own list of potential side effects so use with caution. I visit the Mayo Clinic and WebMD websites for information on side effects, safety and efficacy. The side effects of Garcinia cambogia, which is described as “possibly safe,” include headaches, nausea and tummy aches. [15]

Aloe Vera, while usually wonderful when applied on your skin for sunburn or a insect bite straight from the plant growing in your sub-tropical climate, say Florida, is not so very good for your insides. When taken orally, aloe acts as a laxative and can cause cramping and diarrhea which may lead to “electrolyte imbalances in the blood of people who ingest aloe for more than a few days. It can also stain the colon making it difficult to visualize the colon during a colonoscopy.” [16]

It’s unknown how much Aloe Vera is even in Sletrokor, so if you have any colon issues or may have a colonoscopy, don’t use this stuff.

Cascara sagrada is another laxative, so keep in mind that most laxatives have some kind of uncomfortable digestive effects from cramping to diarrhea. Yuk.

And Phaseolusvulgaris (white kidney bean) may cause some bloating or gas. “Beans, beans the magical fruit,” as the ditty goes. I don’t know about when it’s in powder form, but I suspect you may be in for a bit of gas.

The Science Behind Sletrokor

There are studies specific to Sletrokor ingredients, but not to the exact product itself. But 18Nutrition points to a study on HCA as proof that its product works. Garcinia cambogia is their star. The study, a clinical trial in India, then reported on by a researcher and biochemist, found that HCA alone and in combination with other compounds may be effective in reducing weight or helping to maintain an existing “healthy body weight and BMI, and promote healthy blood lipid levels.” The reduced serum leptin levels, decreased appetite, reduced food intake, and increased fat oxidation may be, at least in part, responsible for this positive outcome and decrease the risk factors for obesity related degenerative diseases and mortality. The 2004 clinical trial saw that among 60 moderately obese people, the group taking HCA lost 5 percent body weight in 8 weeks when combined with diet and exercise. The placebo group’s results were marginal, the study summary reads. [17]

So it’s not clear what amount of weight was lost by this group, though something had to have changed per use of the word “marginal.”

A brief look at research from Cambridge about Phaseolusvulgaris.

The British Journal of Nutrition published an exhaustive report in 2011 on the study of every available randomized clinical trial (RCT) available on the efficacy of Phaseolusvulgaris. They ended up with thousands of electronic hits on searches, but in the final analysis there were just six authentic RCTs to evaluate using more than 250 subjects. What these Cambridge University researchers discovered was this:

The evidence from RCT is not adequate enough to conclusively determine the effects of P. vulgaris supplementation on body weight. The methodological quality of all RCT is poor, and most are of short duration. Larger and more rigorous trials with longer duration are required to objectively assess the effects of this herbal supplement on body weight. [18]

There you go. Just eat beans, like I said.

Word on the Street about Sletrokor

So good luck finding Sletrokor online for purchase—except of course on the official website. And speaking of the website, there’s a few before-and-after testimonials that, as I said above, are either unconvincing or worrisome. There are Sletrokor reviews out there, however.

Reviews on Amazon.com are as recent as 2017 and as early as 2014. The pills are listed as out of stock at present. Of the 16 reviews I found, overall Sletrokor earned an average 2.9 stars. [19]

Energy seemed better but the stomach cramps and diarrhea don’t seem worth it. A medical website states that you shouldn’t take cascara sagrada for more than a week since it’s a laxative and can dehydrate you and cause loss of potassium. Wish it didn’t have this laxative in the formula. [21]

Another fairly recent review also by an “Amazon Customer” (October 2016, 5 stars) who is otherwise nameless, says Sletrokor is a “GREAT supplement!”

Absolutely hands down the most effective weight loss supplement I have ever used! No side effects, other than steady weight loss. Of course, following their directions as to how to take it fit perfectly into how I already eat, with larger meals earlier in the day, but still by far the best supplement I have ever used. [22]

But “Randy” (January 2016, 1 star) says: “Sletrokor does not work and 18 Nutrition knows it.”

…Not only did it not work but I actually gained weight. When I tried to call to get a refund, they were closed for the holidays. When I called on Monday after New Years, I was told I could not get a refund because it was now over 30 days and even tho they were closed, he had the nerve to tell me I should have emailed them. BS BS BS. 18Nutrition knows this product does not work or they wouldn’t be so adamant about two days using that as the excuse not to refund me when they know they were closed. The product didn’t work and I would not recommend it to anyone, especially from 18Nutrition. [23]

Some might argue “Randy” is just upset about the lack of a refund. And he recommends another supplement which I won’t mention but also may be questionable in terms of its efficacy.

On the Better Business Bureau (BBB)—a 100-year-old nonprofit that helps consumers tell a good business from a not-so-good-one—18Nutrition/18Shake earned an F rating.

A reviewer named “Matthew Y.” cautions in a very recent critique that any product one purchases from 18Nutrition may not be a wise purchase.

…Don’t buy anything from this merchant as they add a 20 percent restocking fee and are F rated with the BBB. Their website never mentioned that diabetics should not use their products and when I received the product that is exactly what the warning said on the back of the bottle. I called and was basically told to send it back and they would be keeping 20%. Please do your homework before ordering anything from this company or its affiliates. I am also reaching out to Amazon and Visa and asking why they are doing business with an F rated BBB company. [24]

Is Sletrokor Worth a Try?

Definitely not.Come on, folks. You may recall I reviewed 18Shake and told you that 18Nutrition strongly suggested that their shake would be more effective when you added their supplement Sletrokor. I was a skeptic then.

And now? I am convinced this stuff is garbage. A complete waste of money. It’s full of unproven ingredients, a few laxatives, and the stuff that might be good for you is best for you when you actually eat it as opposed to consuming tablets made with powders from somewhere in some consistency and quality and quantity that none of us can attest to.

Also, 18Nutrition claims its products have been endorsed by numerous medical professionals in recent years. I have searched and searched for those endorsements and have not found them. The claims that with Sletrokor you’ll have a kicking metabolism, burn fat, and get antioxidant benefits are sketchy at best and false at worst. Plus, it’s ridiculously expensive. If you follow their recommended daily usage at four tables a day, at $60 a bottle of 30 tablets, they cost you $2 each.

Meanwhile, the money you spend could be better spent on a gym membership, new walking shoes, or a month’s supply of healthy whole foods like fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins. Please my friends, save your hard-earned money and try to do a better job of eating healthy whole foods, less junk and less processed foods and get more exercise.